Aam aadmi votes!

This morning, I overheard a conversation that was taking place between my wife and our maid.
The story dates back to a few days back, when the maid very sheepishly asked for 2 days leave. “Why?” my wife asked!
The maid replied that she wanted to go to her native in Tamil Nadu to cast her vote.
“But you voted here, in Bangalore, on 23rd April” my wife said, to which the maid replied “Oh, that was for here. Now I am going to my hometown to vote for my leader who will form my government”
My wife gave up and agreed for her 2 days’ leave.

Cut, to the conversation that I overheard today!
My wife was asking the maid how the voting experience was. The maid was very excited and she began to explain how she, her husband and fellow dwellers went by a special van to her native and cast their vote, but she was disappointed that her vote will not elect her area leader but it will help someone else. She also said that they were paid Rs.200 and food per head for their vote. But more than that was the vote itself. Her area leader sought them out even though they were hundreds of miles away and asked for their vote. It was a matter of honor for them!
Who was the candidate? ………well, she didn’t know! She was told to vote for a symbol and she did!

I began to ponder!
We sit in our living rooms and watch different channels for exit polls, poll analysis and results. We watch the trends and go to the extent of analysing the stability of the elected government and the impact on economic growth and governmental policies.
The ground reality is that the government is elected mostly by people who are told by someone to stamp their vote for a symbol.
It also brought another thought in me: I read in the newspaper that C.N.R.Rao’s name did not figure in the voters list whilst our maid’s name was in two states.
Jai Ho!